SO MUCH FUN
The immersive experience alone should convince you to watch this. I REALLY had so much fun watching this.The world building of this drama sets it apart from all the other game/transmigration dramas, the writers put their all into creating a world that would let the watchers experience the game with the FL. There's also the fact that every single character is layered and complex although just NPCs, it really let's you reflect on the multiverse and reality. Am I real? Am I also a game character? Had me rethinking my life a few times.
The storyline although at times a bit confusing (a tiny bit really), unraveled nicely, none of that Cdrama choppy nonsense. There's a lot of twist and turns that keep you on your toes.
Of course, for all Cdramas everyone is probably wondering if the FL character is annoying and the answer is......
No! (imo, cause some of y'all hate material gowrls, but I LIKE them ). I actually found her quite refreshing, I was surprised to learn that our FL was a mean girl, wore make up and never missed an opportunity to give her two cents. She speaks her mind so much that I think she's the reason why it felt like I was playing the game with her. She's all of us in a character and I love her for that.
Cons:
1.The ending, its a good ending, of course, but it left me thirsty for more. I would have loved to see a full episode of her life in the real world.
2. ML's acting at times was very stiff and lacked micro expressions. Some people might disagree but the 2nd ML was objectively more attractive on screen. I've seen a few people complain of an incurable second lead syndrome. WATCH IT STILL.
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It’s uphill after the first 2 episodes!!
The first episode I was ready to drop it. The FL was unbearable and I thought there was no way I could sit through 24 episodes of her! But I looked at some of the comments and most readers said it gets better after episode 3 and they were right! FL’s character development came quick and she went from awful to normal and to pretty likeable. ML I adored as the handsome introverted prince with his perpetual pout and eyes that could never hide his true feelings. I liked the chemistry between the leads and although there were the typical troupe misunderstandings, they didn’t last too long.The last few episodes did get frustrating for me. SFL had too much screen time compared to the FL and the storyline seemed to get drawn out. I’m a total HE drama watcher and this one I guess is a kind of sort of HE so I’m sort of satisfied!!
This drama was a good watch … definitely surpassed my expectations considering how low the bar was after the first episode!! If you can get to episode 3 or 4, I think you’re good to go.
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Just sit back and enjoy the fun in this gaming drama
This drama has some similarities to 1) Unique Lady and 2) Romance of Tiger and Rose - FL from modern world goes into a game/story and their personalities and planned roles stray away from their supposed characters in the game/story AND they also attract the male leads.The show is not perfect. It has many loopholes, stiff acting (from the ML which was a disappointment to me), uneven pacing, your usual breakups, and a rushed ending without much explanation, requiring the viewers to tap on their own imaginations in order to gain some satisfaction (Romance of Tiger and Rose was slightly better at such ending). BUT the show was interesting because it stayed true to its “gaming mode” in that it has tasks to be completed in order to unlock certain bonuses etc (I liked that aspect as that’s what we see in games). It also tried to explore themes such as reality vs virtual reality and how virtual reality is reality to some; characters who are meant to die need to die otherwise it upsets the balance; and character growth as the story plot develops, similar to what we see in some RPG games.
I personally ship the FL and Jack (the second ML was much better in acting than the ML who was too stiff). FL is also a relatively new actress but she acted fairly well to me so the ML just did not agree with me.
To watch this show, one cannot put too much thinking into the plot, explanation etc. Just sit back and watch for the fun of the drama.
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Strong directing and OST with not only a fun story but a compelling question about what's "real"
This is a solid drama for you if you enjoy VR romance or fake period setting dramas, such as "To Get Her" "Love & The Emperor" and "The Queen of Attack." I think I would rate it unbiasedly as a 9, but because of how much I liked this drama, the extra point is for enjoyment, so 10/10.First, the summary on MyDramaList is confusing. Si Yan didn't mistakenly enter a VR game. Si Yan is a prideful social media beauty blogger influencer who got into a drunken car accident and became comatose. Her father, a CEO of a gaming company, built a VR game to help her awaken; if she completes the tasks, it can stimulate brain signals that may help her wake up. (On the science side, I don't know how accurate it is, but I like that they provide this information right at the beginning.) So, Si Yan has a lot of stakes right at the beginning. She needs to survive, complete the tasks, so that she can wake up in the real world. That's the basic premise and as she meets new (and one old) friends and fall in love, she'll have to make hard decisions.
I greatly enjoy this drama overall because it had everything that a romantic comedy drama should have:
-It has strong directing, allowing for many scenic and memorable moments.
-A first episode that's intriguing and compelling with perfect OST tracks and slow-motion scenes
-It has good OST that, with each listen, really adds to the emotions of the story.
-It has a well strung, serious plot that lasted throughout the entire series with clever callbacks to earlier episodes and information.
-It has solid acting; this is Snow Kong's first historical drama and although I had never seen her act in anything else, I thought she did fantastic. I never felt off about her or felt she was lacking. For the male lead, Yan Zi Dong, it's a hit and miss depending on if you like the actor's face. He doesn't have the most stoic and perfect face, which I think was necessary for his character as Qi Guan Yi, but some folks complained about how he didn't look good enough. I personally enjoyed his face and acting as I've seen him in his previous dramas and I thought he did well here. For Karen Kang as the second female lead, I also enjoyed her performance and the drama really showed off her dancing talent. For Deng Wei, he's perfect and has all the potential to be the main male lead; he's got a great face and he's a good actor. Overall, all the actors were good.
I think you'd enjoy this drama if you like these aspects:
-An imperfect, arrogant female lead who grows into a better person and grows to care about others
-The stoic and smart male lead with trauma that led him to be suspicious of others
-Cute male characters, almost like a reverse harem, lol
-A prejudice-at-first-interaction relationship between the female and male leads, so suspicion and dislike of each other at first
-A tragic second male lead who will break your heart
-A physically strong and scheming second female lead/antagonist who harbors her own secrets
-The third male character who has a sad upbringing that leads him to have a stutter when speaking to women
-Supporting characters getting their own romance (although it is deeply developed), such as between a prince and his maid. There is also heavily implied romantic notion regarding a prince and his bodyguard! So some BL vibes.
-The blurring idea of what's reality and what's real: how it may be virtual but what we experience like our feelings--love, hate, happiness--is real, and so, how does that matter in the VR world? What is really "true" to us?
-Ominous foreshadowing from the first episode! Creating high potential for future angst.
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ONE AMAZING SHOW TO WATCH
When I started watching this drama I felt like there was no hope but nearly at the episode 3 is when the good part of the story starts the FM changes here way of staying in the game and starts being a litle less childish. For me the ML was a little wierd aswell. When you start to see the childish side of him, he becomes really cute. Although I liked Jia Ke/ Jake waaaay better than the actual ML, he still shined at his own place.I have to point out the acting of these actors, Specially Jia Ke/ Jake when he cried I could feel the pain in my heart. Honestly, I don't cry while watching any dramas. But in this one Jia Ke/ Jake was constantly stabbing my heart making my eyes flow like a river. And Qi GuangBao was the cutest character in the entire drama, Qi GuangXia was one of the most supporting actors.
And I liked the fact that no one was really a negative character at the end of the play. At first I thought that Qi GuangDa will be a negative character but he wasn't. Even the second lady who was behind everything was willing to take the punishment After everything that happened to her, She still left silently. Another amazing mention is Tong Rui although at first I thought that she is going to be the most annoyning character but she wasn't. The only thing she wanted was to wake up, But after falling in love with Qi GuanDa she decided to stay in the game.
Overall, This was one of the most heart-warming dramas out there that deserves way more recogntion.
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this may be my new favorite vr game drama
this was really fun to watch,and i enjoyed watching it till the end.I really liked the main cp!they were super cute,so watching them makes me feel happy..just when they first crossed paths,i already felt butterflies!
i think everyone did a good job on potraying their characters.the fl not only amazed me with her visuals,but also her acting.for a rookie,she did a great job!for our ml,lots thinks he's stiff,but i think he did fine.imo,his potrayal of qi guanyi was great!
i loved the side characters too!even the antagonist..although they did not show much,but i can see that they had a great character development..
the osts were beautiful!especially song..it gave me a beautiful feeling,every end of the episode..thye put the ost well on the scenes so i cried when i need to,feel happy when i need to,and feel tensed when i need to.
this would've been better if they have given us more of the couple at the end.i really hope they give us a second season or,even just a special episode..
overall,this was a fun ride for me!i think eveyone should give it a try..first two episode may be annoying for some,but after that,i swear everything is all good!the chemistry of fl with everyone was good,and that made this way more fun!pleaseee do watch it!
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A Good Script Makes a Whole lot of Difference
I watched Sassy Beauty (Snow Kong) together with The Flowers are Blooming (Kiki Xu) expecting that I will like TFAB more since I’ve seen Kiki Xu’s work before and I like her. Both dramas didn’t have the A lister cast that you’d expect so I was totally banking on Kiki Xu’s charm. But 2 episodes in both dramas and I hate to admit that SB is a whole lot better than TFAB!I had no problem with Kiki Xu’s acting but it’s just that SB’s plot is more riveting, interesting, and provides more room for Snow Kong and the rest of the cast to provide as much emotion as they can. I found the characters here to be more 3D and the supporting characters actually had their own character growth and story. While in TFAB the premise was just so lacking that the main leads don’t even have as much romantic scenes as you’d get from a rom com and the supporting characters remain as disposable characters that even if you remove them from the scene they wouldn’t matter and I wouldn’t care. I guess SB had the upper hand in terms of having an IP that actually works. Also Yan Zi Dong is not the most handsome and best ML actor but somehow getting paired with Snow Kong with her refreshing charm actually works and they do give off a believable chemistry even with their cardboard like kisses.
In the end I already finished SB as a marathon cried tears, laughed, and felt happy when the characters had their own fitting endings. Congrats to Snow Kong for getting a great script for her breakout drama. As for TFAB, I am mustering all my will power to finish the 24 eps but urg, their chemistry is just soso.
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Lean back and enjoy the ride
This is one of these hidden gems I sometimes come across unknowingly. The show is funny yet exciting. The “rooster-incident” in episode 2 was hilarious. In fact it’s packed with funny scenes that are so enjoyable. The game-part is the best I’ve seen so far and I have actually seen my fair share. You are constantly reminded that this is a game, with menus, options, missions, tasks and game pausing - and of course the game master Jack (wonderful character). Even the (happy) ending perfectly fits this marvelous virtual world and its characters.FL is not the usual dumb and innocent girl that’s supposed to be cute but she is a bit of a disaster-magnet, LOL. I love that she gradually becomes a strong and independent woman who won’t accept the gamerules since they don’t allow her to choose her own path. Her fight for her to pursue her own love story is touching and shows a great character development on her part. Being in love with a NPC (game character) isn’t easy at all. I just love her to pieces.
2FL is also a very strong character that has so many good trades that you really cannot hate her wholeheartedly. Her fights with FL are both fun and fierce but she is not anywhere near evil as so many 2FLs are in these shows.
Both FLs are great actresses that really know how to convey to us the feelings and inner turmoil they have. Actually all the important actors/actresses are great.
ML is (for me) a bit problematic since he is made to be somewhat weak (supposedly introvert) but then again not since he is a great warrior. It is sometimes hard to read his facial expressions, especially in the first half of the show. He is an experienced actor so I guess it’s the directing that isn’t quite there (for me at least).
Besides the funny parts there is also an exciting and very entertaining plot in the game where FL has her mission to achieve in order to wake up in reality. When her mission collides with her feelings, we see various sub plots and lots of twists and turns. I for one had my eyes glued to the screen - loving every moment of it. OMG it’s good.
If I were to find something I would change it would be that there is a little too much about makeup. I know it’s the foundation of the story and the mission, but it was a little bit boring. Maybe because I'm not interested in makeup and therefore never use it. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.
So, if you love a great story with lots of twists and turns - and not one but two great love stories - this is a “Must Watch”.
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Sweet series
I chose to watch this only because of Zheng Fan Xing. After seeing him inThe Untamed I was curious to know what else he was in. Read about this series and just had to check it out.I was also fascinated about the main story line, being a character in a fantasy world in order to wake up in the real world having complished missions. I love these kinds of stories, the unusual yet typical storyline mixed.
So I started it with much anticipation as to the story and the actors as well.
After the first episode I thought, "yeah this will be a great story".
I like how the story progressed slowly, with many twists.
I liked all the characters, they were great and funny as well.
Honestly saying, I did not like Si Yan first, she was too much at the beginning, her witty, nosy, "I don't care about anybody's opinion" attitude was annoying, but as the story went on and she started to change for the better, I started to like her.
As I was saying, I was eagerly waiting for Fan Xing's character and when I saw him, I just couldn't believe he got the role of a young, definitely handsome, little pompous yet sweet guy's character. He was great in this series. Couldn't help but smile everytime I saw him on screen. It was kinda obvious he wouldn"t get together with Si Yan but this stroyline, his love was well-written. Wasn't too cheesy, it was sweet, deep love from him. I felt sorry for him because it can be seen he genuinley loved her. If he got together win Si Yan's friend that wouldn't have been a good point in the story. It would have been as if Prince Bao took pity on her and his feelings wouldn't have been honest for her.
First I didn't really care too much about Prince Da, I thought he is a real pain in the a..., but was happy for him to have finally found true love and it changed him .
Prince Xiu was the funniest for me, kind of clumsy but serious when needed. I kinda had the feeling that he might feel something more for Yun Li and vica versa, sometimes they had those kinds of stares, glances. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded a bit if it was true, but wouldn't have fit this story line. But secretly I was hoping for them to have more between them. Felt sorry for Yun Lin when he left Prince Xiu because he didn't want to cause trouble for him, and this showed me that deep down , even though he had a mission- he loved Prince Xiu and he knew he is the only one he truly cared for him. He was always loyal to the Prince and was treated fairly, so even if he had accomplished the revenge of his father, he wouldn't have hurt the Prince.
But the character whose appearance I was truly wating for all the time was Jack the butler. He is so handsome. It was obvious from the first second that he loves Si Yan. I felt so sorry for him for not being able be with her as lovers and Si Yan sees him only as a friend, though she just used him first but later relaised it was only him she could rely on at all. There were times when Si Yan kinda looked as if she might have feelings for him, though. But that would have been a silly idea from the writers ... switching to another man ,Jack that is, realising she loves him after all the lovey-dovey scenes with a Prince ... nay, no, never, it would have ruined the whole image of her.
All in all I have to say this drama is a nice surprise. It's definitely a must-watch even if it's for the reason of simply loving make-up. It was obvious that she will change as a person from being a stuck-up, spoiled, bigheaded, selfish, "I look down on everybody" girl, to a sincere, unselifh, understanding, loyal, hard-working, humble girl.
The music is also beautiful, melodic yet painful. matches well the drama.
I recommend this drama to anyone who wants a nice witty, romantic, yet dramtic, sometimes scary story with many twists and amazing, loveable characters.
I loved the details, the clothes, the make-ups, the foods, the whole image of the story.
I love in this -and other historical dramas- that they take you to another world, you can forget your busy life, your everyday problems. You can enter into a magical world for a little time. Love it!
It's definitely a rewatch for me!
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It's no tiger and rose and no Sizhui
This drama came up as a recommendation and I'm guessing it was either because the premise is similar to The Romance of Tiger and Rose (female lead from the real world gets transported to a fantasy world) or because the Zheng Fanxing that played Sizhui in The Untamed is in it, or a combination of both. Well, that was a mistake. Sure Zheng Fanxing is in it and he's being kinda cute and funny but not at all enough to keep my interest. And the story and acting is not even close to The Romance of Tiger and Rose or other similar shows I've seen and loved.I do have to give props to the motivation behind why she's in this VR world and why she needs to stay there. It's smartly done. But from then on it's the same ol story of quirkiness, missions, mistakes, victories, shenanigans, misunderstandings, love, hate, friends, enemies and frenemies. Now don't get me wrong I love a classic setup like that! I don't mind using a classic recipe if the show is entertaining but this one is not.
The problem is the acting. Everyone is SO. DAMN. STIFF. all the time. It's like watching wooden dolls, and more than that it's like listening to wooden dolls. I actually think the bigger problem is the voice actors than the live actors, all the lines are said in such monotone voices and it doesn't fit at all with a drama that's supposed to be a bit quirky and over the top.
It's not that it's bad it's just bland, which for me makes it almost worse because I mean a disastrously bad show can be kind of entertaining this was just mneh. I did as recommended and stuck with it although episode 1-3 were kind of messy and it's true that it gott better after ep 3 but that doesn't mean that it became good, just less messy. At episode 8 I was still not invested, it was just like going through the motions so I decided it's better to stop than to try forcing it and Stockholm syndrome myself into liking it.
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Worst part is they put a 30plus actress with the look of someone closer to 40 and made her act cute and try to make her to young and cute unsuccessfully. Even with all the made-up and eyelasjes, lighting, filters, she still look way too old for her part. Its almost neaseating to see her trying to play cute. She has very dull eye expression, more suited to play someone with hard life or serious attitude. I could name half a dozen Chinese actresses off hand more suited. I like the story which is why I finished the series despite having some revolting impulse. Don't believe me, watch and examine it yourself. Was this review helpful to you?
